Ohio teens would no longer be allowed to get married before 18 without an exception from a juvenile court, under a new bill passed by the Ohio House.

House Bill 511, which passed unanimously in the House Wednesday, modifies Ohio law to generally make 18 the minimum age for marriage.

There is an exception for 17-year-olds who have consent from a juvenile court with a 14-day waiting period. Their partner cannot be more than four years older.

Currently, girls can get married as young as 16 with parental consent. Boys, however, cannot get married under the age of 18 without the consent of a juvenile court.

Both girls and boys younger than 16 can also get married with the consent of a juvenile court.

On the House floor, Rep. Laura Lanese, a Grove City Republican, said most underage marriages are between a minor girl and an adult man. She referenced a case in Gallia County in 2002 in which a 14-year-old pregnant girl was allowed to marry a 48-year-old man.

"Underage marriages are rife with the risk of dire outcomes that include the potential for abuse, and the possibility of human trafficking of underage girls who are often coerced into marriages by their own family members," Lanese said.

Cosponsor Rep. John Rogers, a Mentor-on-the-Lake Democrat, noted the discrepancy between the numbers of young girls and boys who were married.

Rogers said according to the Ohio Department of Health, there were 4,443 girls and 301 boys under the age of 17 who were married between 2000 and 2015, with the approval of parents or a juvenile court.

"Often times, a minor girl faced with an untimely pregnancy, may choose to marry the father of the child, who may be considerably older," Rogers said in testimony to the Community and Family Advancement Committee.

"We often think of child marriages as happening in some distant part of the world. Tragically, they’re happening here as well," Lanese said in her testimony.

The bill aims to prevent the consequences of child marriages, which include more medical and mental health issues, increased high school dropout rates, a greater risk of poverty and up to 80% divorce rates, Lanese said.

"HB 511 seeks to protect our most valuable asset by preventing the forced marriages of children, putting both parties to a marriage on more equal footing, and mitigating the risks that marrying underage poses to a girl’s safety, health, education, and welfare," Lanese said.

The bill still needs to be passed by the Senate.

At least eighteen other states have passed or introduced legislation to limit or end child marriage.